About Us

Our Mission

To bring people together to build homes, communities, and hope.

Our Vision

A world where everyone has a decent place to live.

Habitat for Humanity Buffalomakes homeownership possible for local families. Since 1985, we have assisted 308 families in achieving their dream of homeownership. Families in Habitat Buffalo’s homebuyer program are able to purchase a decent, safe, affordable home. This is attainable for low-income families because Habitat Buffalo subsidizes the cost of the house through grants, donations, and volunteer labor. The homebuyer repays an interest-free, 30-year mortgage, which supports the Fund for Humanity, a revolving account used to build additional homes

We give a hand up, not a hand out. Working closely with families in our homebuyer program, we help to prepare them for the challenges that go along with owning a house. Families are required to complete 500 hours of “sweat equity”, a term used to describe the work completed by future homeowners towards the construction and purchase of their homes. Families help to build their house, and must also attend budgeting and first-time homebuyer classes.Our ReStore Program supports our mission and helps our community.Every year, thousands of household items are saved from landfills, and are repurposed through our ReStore Program. We accept donated appliances, furniture, and building materials, which are refinished and used in Habitat houses, or are sold through our two ReStore retail locations. This program helps to defray the cost of construction, and provides the community low-cost options for household goods.

Habitat for Humanity is a widely respected, beloved organization. Habitat Buffalo is a local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. Around the world, Habitat for Humanity has remained one of the most recognizable and admired non-profit organizations. We are among the largest homebuilders in the United States, and is one of the largest single-family homebuilders in the City of Buffalo. Our reputation has been earned locally (and globally) through our collaborative and fiscally-responsible approach in addressing affordable housing. In his recent address to Habitat for Humanity representatives from around the world, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter echoed this sentiment, stating, “Habitat is the best way I know in the world to break down the barriers that exist between people who are really in need, and have never had a decent home, and those (…) who have almost everything.”

We are built by our community. Our organization was founded by a group of dedicated volunteers, concerned about the lack of affordable housing in the City of Buffalo. More than 5,000 volunteers continue to support our organization each year, including more than 100 weekly volunteers who assist on our construction sites, on our committees, and in our ReStore.

Each home leaves an impactful, lasting legacy. Every Habitat home is meaningful to our community and to the family who will live there. Habitat Buffalo empowers new homeowners to take good care of the houses and to manage their budgets. Families are prepared for long-term success, and often view their home as a piece of stability to pass along to their children. By keeping families in homes, we are preserving the integrity and authenticity of our neighborhoods. Habitat homes prevent flippers, slumlords, and absentee landlords from diminishing our community. Over the past 30 years, we have broken ground on more than 300 homes (including the rehabilitation of nearly 200 vacant or abandoned properties), and have added more than $1.6 million to local tax rolls. By assisting low-income families, we are also slowing the pace of gentrification that has come as a side-effect of Buffalo’s renaissance.